The Dream
by Criala
Summary: The dream was always the same. (Shuhei/OC)


This came to mind when I was looking through different writing prompts on tumblr.  
I'm not sure why Shuhei stuck out to me for this one, but he did.  
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!  
I hope that you all enjoy it! :)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. Only the idea and Hitomi belong to me.**

* * *

 _ **The dream was always the same.**_

* * *

The sky was dark, and faint clouds loomed over head. It was late in the Soul Society, well after midnight. A time for rest or drinking, depending on who was asked. Most were sound asleep, buried in their dreams. Others were off drinking with their friends. Aside from that, only the scattered person was awake.

Within the Ninth Division barracks, Hisagi Shuhei was one of those people. The lieutenant was trying to get the last bit of paperwork finished. Since the Ninth Division currently had no Captain, the responsibilities fell on his shoulders.

A yawn escaped his mouth as his dark eyes trailed over the paper in front of him. It was a tiring job, and only seemed to get more exhausting the longer he did it. Another yawn left him, and his eyes slowly closed. His cheek rested against his hand with his arm propped up on the desk. Sleep was a luxury he didn't get to experience much lately.

Moments after his eyes closed, he was drifting away into sleep.

~X~

 _ **"It's been a while since I've been here..." Shuhei muttered to himself, running a hand through his dark hair.**_

 _ **It wasn't very often that he was sent to the World of the Living. But there was an unusual increase in Hollow activity, so he was sent to check it out.**_

 _ **With a deep breath, he glanced around. There didn't seem to be anything strange right now. But he was sure it would only be a matter of time before something happened, given the reason he was there in the first place.**_

 _ **It was growing darker and darker to signal the coming of night. There wasn't anyone around. Not that it would matter if anyone was around. There weren't many, if any, people who would be able to see him.**_

 _ **This area was clear right now, so it was time for him to move on and check out the rest of the town. He remained as he was for a moment longer, then turned his head to the left when he heard something.**_

 _ **A human woman was only a short distance from him, heading right for him. It didn't take much for him to see that she was just a regular human, so after that, he didn't give her presence a second thought. He looked away from her, eyes trailing over everything.**_

 _ **"I... I'm sorry!"**_

 _ **A slight frown tugged at his lips, Surely she couldn't have been talking to him. But he still turned to look at her again. His eyes widened a fraction when he realized that she was looking right at him. The shock only lasted a few seconds though.**_

 _ **"... You can see me?" He quirked a brow at her. Now he could sense her reiryoku. It wasn't extremely powerful, but it was higher than average. Probably just enough to be able to see him.**_

 _ **"... Of course I can." She frowned, giving him a strange look.**_

 _ **"... I see." Well, this wasn't something he expected. To be seen by someone at all, let alone so quickly.**_

 _ **"Am I not supposed to?" She asked, tilting her head to the side a little. Her brown hair fell over her shoulder, hanging in loose curls.**_

 _ **He was silent for a moment, thinking about how to answer her. Did he answer honestly and tell her that he was a Shinigami? Or should he play it off?**_

 _ **As he was thinking, her eyes roamed his face. They lingered on the tattoos on the left side of his face, but moved on. Now the right side, where his scars were, they stayed there for a good minute. They didn't seem to bother her. But whatever thought she was having was cut short by his voice.**_

 _ **"Ah, no..." It was for the best if he left it at that and parted ways with her.**_

 _ **"Oh, alright." She shrugged her shoulders a little, then took a look at her watch. "Well, I need to get home. Bye." She bowed her head to him and continued on her way.**_

 _ **His head turned, watching her as she left. But he looked away after a couple minutes. He shook his head a little. He had more important things to focus on right now. Not a human woman that could see him.**_

~X~

 _ **"We meet again."**_

 _ **Judging by the voice it was the human woman from a couple days earlier. One look to Shuhei's right told him that it was her. Her voice was somewhat familiar, but that wasn't what made him remember her. Her eyes were what stuck out to him. They would be called amber, but they were more of a golden color. Even with all of the different eye colors in the Soul Society and Seireitei, he couldn't recall seeing any that were quite like her's.**_

" _ **So it seems." He nodded. Not that he expected to see her again. It was a different time than before, late afternoon instead of almost night, and he was in a different area. So, he was a little surprised to see her.**_

 _ **She moved so she was standing next to him, looking out in front of her. The top of her head just barely went above his shoulder.**_

" _ **What are you looking at?" She asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.**_

" _ **Nothing." He answered, keeping an attentive eye on his surroundings.**_

" _ **Oh, okay." She glanced at him, taking in his features. He had handsome features. She tried not to get caught looking at him, but that didn't work out so well. Because a few seconds after glancing at him, her eyes met his.**_

" _ **What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.**_

" _ **Nothing." She shrugged her shoulders in what she hoped was a casual manner. How could she tell him to his face that she thought he was attractive when she didn't even know his name?**_

" _ **Mm." That was the only reply he gave.**_

 _ **She chewed on her bottom lip, taking a glance at her watch. "I should be going. See you later."**_

 _ **He merely glanced at her, which she noticed. She smiled at him and waved, then turned around and headed back the way she'd come from.**_

~X~

 _ **So far, there was no information on the Hollow activity. A few Hollows had appeared, but they were easily dealt with. He didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, except for when Hollows appeared. He gave a report to Seireitei once a day, but it wasn't much of anything, aside from detailing the Hollows. It was evening now. So far, there weren't any more Hollow activity for that day.**_

 _ **He ran a hand through his hair, looking around the area. His gaze stopped on a specific spot when he spotted someone walking towards him. As they grew closer, he saw that it was the human woman from before.**_

 _ **Upon seeing him, she blinked. Then she smiled, laughing a little. "It seems we're going to keep seeing each other, doesn't it?"**_

" _ **Apparently." It would seem that he was going to keep running into her, no matter what. He pulled his gaze away from her.**_

 _ **It was silent, and a minute or two went by before she spoke up again. "I guess if we're going to keep seeing each other, I should introduce myself. My name is Shirai Hitomi." She bowed her head towards him, then pulled her head back up with a smile. "What's your name?"**_

 _ **He didn't say anything, looking at her again.**_

" _ **... Well?" She urged him a little.**_

" _ **Hisagi Shuhei." He replied a few seconds later.**_

" _ **Ah, it's nice to meet you, Hisagi-kun!" Her smile widened.**_

 _ **He nodded in reply.**_

~X~

 _ **It was dusk, and the sun's light faded for the night. There was a slight breeze, rustling any nearby trees or store banners. Once again, Shuhei found himself in the company of Hitomi. By now, he was used to it. At some point, at least every couple of days, he would end up seeing her. No matter what, she always seemed to find him. Right now, she was leaning against the railing that lined the street, only a short distance away from him.**_

" _ **Why do you always wear that?" She tilted her head to the side, looking at him.**_

" _ **Hm?" He glanced at her.**_

" _ **That outfit?" She motioned to his clothing.**_

 _ **He glanced down at what he was wearing, then back up at her, not quite sure what to say. Honestly, he was surprised she hadn't asked about his clothing sooner.**_

 _ **His lack of comment didn't seem to bother her, because, even as she looked up at the sky, she kept on talking. "I've seen others wearing similar outfits."**_

" _ **You... Have?" So she'd seen other Shinigami...**_

" _ **Yes." A soft smile came to her face. "A few times."**_

" _ **I see..." His reply was murmured.**_

" _ **Hisagi-kun?" Her voice was lowered when she spoke this time.**_

" _ **Hm?" The change in her voice caused him to look at her.**_

" _ **You're... Different, aren't you?" She looked up at him, eyes piercing right through him.**_

" _ **What do you mean?" He asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.**_

" _ **I'm not sure exactly... I want to say that you're a ghost... " She mused, lifting her hand up and biting on the thumbnail of her left hand. "But that just doesn't... Feel right."**_

" _ **Ahh..." It was what he had been expecting. At least, along the lines of what he was expecting her to say. "I'm not a ghost."**_

" _ **What are you then?" Curiosity filled her eyes.**_

 _ **He took a deep breath, scratching the back of his head. Time to come clean. "I'm a Shinigami."**_

" _ **A Shinigami?" More curiosity from her.**_

" _ **Yes. Shinigami help souls, also known as pluses, move on from the World of the Living to the Soul Society. We also take care of Hollows, souls that have lost their hearts." He explained.**_

" _ **So, are there a lot of Shinigami?" She wondered, enthralled with what he was telling her.**_

" _ **Tens of thousands." A nod from him.**_

" _ **Wow." Her eyes widened in awe. "What is the Soul Society?"**_

" _ **It's the afterlife. You can call it heaven."**_

" _ **Oh, okay. Then... What exactly do these Hollows do?"**_

" _ **They go after pluses. Or people with some level of reiryoku."**_

" _ **Reiryoku?" Her brow furrowed in confusion.**_

" _ **Spiritual power. It's what lets you see me. All humans have a little bit, but those with higher levels are able to see Shinigami, Hollows and Pluses."**_

 _ **The questions continued on well into the night. Each time he gave her an answer, she had another question waiting for him about Shinigami, Hollows and the Soul Society. She wanted to know everything. She asked how life in the Soul Society worked, how Hollows came to be Hollows, how Hollows were defeated, how Shinigami helped pluses move on, what powers that Shinigami had and how one became a Shinigami. Once she found out about the Gotei 13, there were even more questions. She was completely fascinated by all of it.**_

~X~

 _ **The usual times that he saw her were in late in the afternoon, the evening or night. He had been in the World of the Living for several weeks now, and not once had he seen her in the morning. Tonight was the same. It was later in the night. They were at a park, where a Hollow appeared earlier that day. She was sitting in one of the swings, and he was standing beside the swing set.**_

" _ **Do Hollows appear often?" She asked, turning her head to look up at him.**_

" _ **Sometimes. Usually they don't appear this often." He glanced around the park for a second. When he didn't sense anything, he looked at her. "More Hollows than usual have been appearing here lately."**_

" _ **Is that why you're here?" She wondered, head tilting a little.**_

" _ **Yeah. I'm here to check it out." He replied.**_

" _ **So, when you've finished, you have to leave?" This time, her voice was a touch quieter than before.**_

" _ **Yeah." He nodded his head.**_

" _ **I see..." She murmured, glancing to the side and chewing on her bottom lip.**_

" _ **Hm?" He raised an eyebrow, wondering what sparked the change in her mood.**_

" _ **Oh, nothing." She shook her head, looking at him. A bright smile spread across her face. She began to pump her legs back and forth, sending the swing higher into the air. Her hair whipped at her face and along her cheeks, causing her to laugh.**_

 _ **As he watched her, the look in his eyes softened, and a hint of a smile ghosted across his face. He didn't even seem to realize it as he continued to watch her swing.**_

~X~

 _ **The sun was beginning to set, creating a swirl of red, orange, purple and blue. He saw her sitting by herself, eyes on the sky as they usually were. There was nothing unusual going on, and there was no sign of any Hollows. So, he changed the direction he was headed in and made his way towards her.**_

" _ **Hey." He nodded to her, taking a seat beside her.**_

" _ **Oh, Hisagi-kun!" She smiled, turning her attention back to the sky.**_

 _ **He adjusted the way he was sitting slightly, gaze falling to the side, deep in thought. He cleared his throat a little to get her attention. The noise caused her to look at him again**_

" _ **...Shuhei." He muttered.**_

" _ **Hm?" A look of confusion came to her face.**_

" _ **Call me Shuhei." He glanced away from her, his cheeks turning a faint pink.**_

" _ **O-Oh... Okay." She was blushing a little herself, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Shuhei-kun."**_

 _ **His cheeks darkened even more, but he nodded his approval. He liked the sound of her calling him Shuhei instead of Hisagi.**_

~X~

 _ **It was dark out, clouds swirling over head. The moon was bright that night, illuminating everything below it with a faint light. Hitomi was sitting on a bench with Shuhei sitting beside her. There was a light breeze, ruffling her brown hair each time it blew by.**_

" _ **Shuhei-kun?" She chewed on her bottom lip, peeking at him from the corner of her eye.**_

" _ **Hm?" He turned his head slightly, looking down at her.**_

" _ **Uh..." Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. A nervous habit he noticed she had. "How did you get those scars?"**_

 _ **He reached a hand up, touching the three vertical lines that went across his eye. His hand fell back to his side. "Oh, this?"**_

" _ **Yeah." She nodded her head.**_

" _ **A Hollow attack." He shrugged his shoulders, gaze trailing across the few clouds in the sky for a brief few seconds.**_

" _ **It must have hurt." She murmured, frowning a little.**_

" _ **It was a long time ago." When his gaze fell on her again, he saw her reaching her hand out. Her finger tips just barely brushed the scars. His eyes widened a little, momentarily frozen.**_

" _ **O... Oh, I'm sorry!" She squeaked out, yanking her hand back. Her eyes were wide as well, as if she just realized what she was doing. "I... I didn't mean to!"**_

" _ **Ah." He shook his head, pink dusting across his cheeks."Its okay."**_

" _ **O... Oh, alright." She chewed on her bottom lip, her cheeks darkening as well. Her hand lowered to rest on the bench beside her, but her hand touched something warm. One look down told her it was his hand, and she flushed a darker pink. She glanced up at him, and their eyes met.**_

 _ **There was still some pink to his cheeks. He swallowed quietly, eyes trailing from her hand to her face. It took a moment, but he nodded his head slightly to show that her hand was fine.**_

 _ **With some hesitation, she lowered her hand so it was resting over his. She peeked up at him through her bangs to see his reaction. He was looking away, but she could see the hint of a smile.**_

 _ **She smiled, looking down at her lap. She squeezed her hand around his, content to just stay like that for the rest of the night.**_

~X~

 _ **The sound of a beep caught Shuhei's attention. He pulled his denreishinki from his pocket, flipping it open. His heart almost stopped at what he saw. He looked over his shoulder, eyes wide. It was headed right for where he'd left her. As fast as he was with Shunpo, it was still far too slow for his liking. He wasn't getting there quick enough.**_

 _ **When he got there, the first thing he saw was her body laying on the ground. Her spirit was a few feet away from her body. But he felt relief when he saw that her soul chain was still connected. The Hollow was large and almost beast-like with how bulky it was. With its long legs, claws and tail, it was terrifying. It was looking right at her. She was in its line of sight, and it ran for her, emitting a horrifying screech on the way.**_

 _ **A scream left her, though it was almost completely snuffed out by the Hollow's screeching. Then she brought up her arms, closing her eyes tightly and shielding her face. Not that it would do anything against the Hollow, but maybe she just didn't want to see the monster as it ate her.**_

" _ **In your dreams!" He growled as he Shunpo'd right in front of her. He blocked the Hollow's attack with his Zanpakutō.**_

 _ **Her eyes snapped open and widened when she saw him.**_

 _ **It shrieked again, lifting a leg and slamming it down on the ground. The ground quaked, causing her and him to stumble a little from the force. Then the Hollow used its tail to hit Shuhei from the side. There was so much force that he was knocked to the side and sent skidding across the ground.**_

" _ **Shuhei-kun!" Any thoughts concerning the Hollow left her mind. There was no hesitation as she ran after him, lengthing her soul chain as she grew further and further away from her body.**_

 _ **He grunted, pushing himself up. He looked up at her, dark eyes on her as she ran to him. "Don't!"**_

" _ **Shuhei-kun!" Her hand was outstretched toward him. But what happened next seemed to go in slow motion, and he just couldn't move fast enough.**_

 _ **Blood splattered on the ground, and she cried out in pain. She clutched her now bleeding shoulder, stumbling forward. But she wasn't given a chance to recover. In the next second, her soul chain was severed as it shot another leg out at her, claws tearing through her soul chain. Then she was face down on the ground with the Hollow holding her in place, almost crushing her.**_

" _ **No!" Anger coursed through his body, and all he saw was red. "REAP, KAZESHINI!"**_

 _ **When he finally came back to his senses, he was breathing hard, and there was no sign of the Hollow. He was shaking a little, and his Zanpakutō slipped from his fingers, falling to the ground in its unreleased form.**_

 _ **Then he felt something touch his arm. He tensed, head snapping to find out what it was. What he found was her hand on his arm.**_

" _ **Shuhei-kun..." She said gently, looking up at him. "Are you okay?"**_

 _ **He relaxed, eyes softening as they met her's. "Yeah..." He glanced at her soul chain, which hung from her chest, no longer attached to her physical body. "You..."**_

 _ **Her eyes landed on her severed soul chain, then her body before finding his eyes again. "I'm... I'm okay."**_

" _ **But...!" He gritted his teeth, hands tightening into fists. "If only I'd been sooner..."**_

" _ **Shuhei-kun..." She lifted her hands up, cupping his face.**_

 _ **He couldn't help relaxing into her touch with a sigh. "I'm sorry."**_

" _ **There's nothing for you to be sorry for." She smiled at him, brushing her thumbs across his cheeks. "You saved me."**_

" _ **But..." His eyes trailed over to where her body lay, then to her severed soul chain.**_

" _ **Look at me."**_

 _ **It took a few seconds, but he did. Dark grey mixing with golden amber.**_

" _ **No buts." She told him, giving his cheeks a soft squeeze. "It didn't eat me. You saved me."**_

" _ **... I guess." Another deep breath.**_

" _ **You did." She nudged his nose with her thumb, effectively booping it. "I'll keep doing this until you believe me." Another boop to his nose. Then one more.**_

" _ **Okay, okay." A chuckle left him. "I believe you."**_

" _ **Good." She smiled.**_

 _ **When she smiled, it was contagious. A slight smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he looked down at her. He put his hands over her's, letting them slide down her arms until they rested at her sides. Then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest. He rested his chin on her head, trying to prolong the moment before he had to perform Konsō on her.**_

 _ **Her cheeks tinted a light shade of red, but she slid her arms around his waist, burying her face into his shoulder.**_

 _ **The two of them stayed like that for a good few minutes, before Shuhei loosened his hold on her, though he was reluctant to.**_

 _ **She loosened her hold on him as well, looking up at him.**_

" _ **I should... Help you pass on..." He muttered.**_

" _ **Okay..." She nodded her head, taking a step back from him. "Will I... See you there?"**_

" _ **I don't know... There's a chance." He answered her honestly. There was a chance, however small it may have been, that they would see each other again in the Soul Society.**_

" _ **Okay, that's enough for me."**_

 _ **He bit his bottom lip and bent down, picking Kazeshini up from where it had fallen. He flipped it around, so the hilt of the sword was facing her. "Do you have any regrets?"**_

" _ **No, none." Another smile was etched onto her features.**_

 _ **With a nod of his head, he pressed the hilt of his sword to her forehead. When he pulled it back, her forehead began to glow.**_

" _ **Shuhei-kun?"**_

" _ **Yeah?"**_

" _ **I'm really glad that we met."**_

" _ **...So am I."**_

" _ **I... Really like you."**_

 _ **His eyes widen, staring at her in shock. Her words had caught him off guard. "I..."**_

" _ **It's okay. I know."**_

 _ **She just continued to smile at him as she disappeared and moved onto the Soul Society.**_

~X~

Shuhei awoke with a jolt. The breath he let out was shaky. The dream was always the same, no matter how many times he had it. That was the last time he saw her. It had been at least thirty years since then. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

"I need to get back to this paperwork..." He looked down at the papers laying in front of him. Paperwork would get his mind off of his dream, or rather memories. At least, that was what he hoped. Even as he finished off the paperwork, her face lingered in his mind.

* * *

 **Denreishinki** = Divine Messenger Machine or Soul Pager  
 **Shunpo** = Flash Step  
 **Reiryoku** = Spiritual Power  
 **Gotei 13** = 13 Court Guard Squads


End file.
